Near Matera, where the Giuliana Whale was discovered, there was an archipelago of islands 800,000 years ago! The studies were presented for the first time during the National Congress of the Italian Geological Society and the Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology, currently taking place in Bari.
“In the area of Matera, there was an archipelago of islands 800,000 years ago. The result comes from an important recent research, concluded a few weeks ago, which we presented at the Joint National Congress of the Italian Geological Society and the Italian Society of Mineralogy and Petrology. The research activity considered the sediment found beneath the fossil bones of the Giuliana Whale. The Giuliana Whale is the largest whale fossil ever described and probably the largest to have ever sailed the waters of the Mediterranean. Giuliana is 26 meters long and weighs between 130 and 150 tons and was unearthed in 2006, but the results of the research conducted on this sediment date back to now. The sampling and study required lengthy processes.
Today, the fossil remains are displayed in the Matera museum. For the first time, however, we present the geological and paleontological studies we have conducted. We geologists have reconstructed the natural environment at the time of the whale. We studied the stratigraphic succession, uncovering the natural environment of 800,000 years ago. We analyzed the rocks. The rocks are important for reconstructing the Earth’s history, particularly sedimentary rocks, as they record the environment in which they were formed at the time they were deposited. By studying the stratigraphic succession, we can reconstruct natural environments over time and space. Below the bone remains of the Whale, we recovered sediment that we analyzed. Analyzing this sediment, we concluded that at that time, therefore 800,000 years ago, there was an archipelago of islands in that place. The Whale was found in a layer that represents an environment very close to the coast. However, we do not know if it died at that spot, as it could have been carried there by currents and predators. But it was found in that layer. Our research indicates that there was probably an archipelago of islands and the whale was at the edge of an island.” This was stated by Maria Rosaria Senatore, a geologist specializing in stratigraphic geology and sedimentology, a professor at the University of Sannio in Campania.
“A total of 60 samples were analyzed. This study is multidisciplinary because these samples were analyzed from sedimentological, stratigraphic, and micropaleontological perspectives, but another interesting aspect that helped clarify the natural environment was the study of pollen found within the sediments. The institutions involved in the research project are numerous,” stated Agostino Meo from the University of Sannio, “including the University of Sannio, which is the lead institution in the project, the Departments of Earth Sciences and Biological Natural Sciences of La Sapienza University of Rome, ISMAR of Naples, and Roma Tre University. The results are significant. It is very interesting that during the Early Pleistocene, the Matera area was formed by an archipelago with many small islands. Thus, the Matera area confirms its status as a site of great interest for geotourism. A site of such an important fossil discovery certainly represents a geosite that could also be enjoyed for conscious and intelligent tourism.”